“It is an axiom of the Democratic system but in the 1950’s it sometimes appears forgotten by some people that only if full examination of all views is had will the better course be discovered and error exposed.”
This statement was made in 1956 by Arthur Whittemore, former Hingham Town Counsel and Moderator, as well as an Associate Justice of the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court. It applies with equal force today, especially on the issue of whether to purchase the Aquarion Hingham Water Company.
As a born and raised Hinghamite educated through the Hingham Public Schools with deep family roots here, and as is likewise true of many who live or work here today, I am the fortunate beneficiary of the teaching over the years of this principle espoused by Mr. Whittemore, both in word and deed. The application of this principle, I think, in large measure forged the sense of community – the Town of Hingham ethos – and stature we have come to enjoy today.
In my view, maintaining the community ethos and stature established by those who came before us requires each of us – not just Town committee members, elected officials, and employees – to have an open mind respectful of hearing and considering all views held within the community.
Although we individually may disagree or not prevail, it is the confidence decisions were made as the result of dialogue and conduct imbued with integrity rather than by device that enables each of us to maintain this community ethos and stature by accepting and moving on from a result other than we wished.
I offer this because I believe we as a community must ensure the dialogue and conduct leading up to and including the Town Meeting vote on the Aquarion issue meet the high standard sought by this principle.
To do otherwise only invites the cancer of lasting hard feelings and divisiveness.
Perhaps it is best expressed in the words of another former Hingham Town Moderator, Thomas L.P. O’Donnell: “Individual liberty works in a democracy because we talk things over together and do what seems right under the circumstances.”
I am confident we are up to the task.
Thanks.
Tom Patch
Well stated Tom. Let’s hope we all live up to that wisdom and refrain from the negative attacks on individuals that have been circulating around this issue. Accurate information should be the objective for all. Thank you for reminding us to behave like charitable adults.
The major thing we in Hingham have to worry about at the moment is the effort to undermine our democratic decision-making process being made by a billion-dollar corporation. It has unleashed a multi-million dollar campaign to “buy” our town meeting. We have never, ever seen the like of this. They mounted a similar attack in Oxford, beating back a proposal by that town to acquire its own water supply, and now they are trying to do the same thing to us. Lets hope we manage to stand up to them. They hardly deserve our “charity.”
Thank you Mr. Macmillan for aptly illustrating Mr. Patch’s point. While a presentation of facts in support of a specific position, is inherently biased, a civil dialogue, and the presentation of opposing facts, in support of a varying view, is a much more preferable, and democratic, means of conducting debate. Mr. Patch makes a valid a point, and is correct that a community ultimately benefits from proper decorum.
Most corporations of size, and certainly those that operate public utilities on a large scale, maintain a PR vehicle as a means of influencing a position in support of their product or service. The effort along this line by Aquarion is intended to help maintain their capital investment in the town water system. In Oxford, Aquarion also used targeted public relation strategies as a means to propagate their interest to keep that business. The town, as Hingham has in the past, voted to support the continuation of a private water company maintaining the infrastructure and being responsible for the delivery of water, and not acquiring the obligation / responsibility, and creating a new municipal entity.
I concur with Mr. Patch’s point; a community is best served when debate around an issue, and the ultimate vote, a civil right, is conducted civilly.
To Jon: Aquarion and its lobbyists hardly behaved “civilly” in Oxford, when they pulled a fire alarm to short-circuit debate on public acquisition of the water company not long ago. The Aquarion lobbyist who pulled the alarm was fined and placed on 6-months probation by the Courtwhen they found out who did it. The Chair of the Oxford Board of Selectmen thought he “got off easy” for what could have been deemed a felony. Were you aware of this? This is the kind of people we’re dealing with. Atlantic Magazine recently had a story about this, and deemed it an attack on local democracy by Aquarion.
Jon: Are you aware that in Oxford, not long ago, public acquisition of Aquarion’s water monopoly in that town was sidetracked when the Company’s lobbyist pulled a fire alarm, clearing people out of the high school gym before a vote could be taken. Later, when it was discovered who’d pulled the alarm, he was fined and sentenced by the Court to 6 months probation. Did you know this? This is the kind of people we’re dealing with. Hardly “civil”, eh wot? There is a recent Atlantic Magazine article recounting these events and lamenting the corporate attack on local democracy.
It is strange indeed for any Hingham citizen to favor the interests of a corporate monopoly over the interests of our own Town. As Selectman Karen Johnson has observed: “From day one, Aquarion’s objective has been to prevent the town from exercising its right to acquire the water company. I’ve found it distressing that their tactics have been to contest, confuse, delay, and to interfere with the town’s orderly evaluation of this proposal. Make no mistake, Aquarion’s sole concern in all of this is the best financial interest of Aquarion.”